Spain
by Violet-The-Bat
Summary: Maria is sent to school in Spain. What happened over there all that time? (THIS STORY IS NOW FINISHED)
1. Chapter 1: Adios, San Angel

I flinched a little when _Papa_ towered over me with a raised voice and his hooked hand pointing off into the distance while telling me to go home and wait for him. He said he was going to send me off to some boarding school in I drowned in my tears, I ran off with my arms welding Manolo's destroyed guitar into my chest.

When I opened the front door, I saw Mama across the hall, reading a book in her chair.

She saw my leaking eyes, and the broken instrument.

"Maria? What happened? Did those boys hurt you while you were playing?"

"No, Mama."

She put her book down on its face and walked towards me; I sniffled even harder when she knelt down in front of me and put one hand on my shoulder with the other on my cheek.

"Papa said he's going to send me away!"

"What do you mean, send you away?"

"I got in trouble again."

"Ay, Maria, what did you do this time?"

"I was playing soldiers with Joaquin and Manolo; and then when I ran by this corral, I saw the cutest baby pig. And then I realized he and all the other animals in there were going to be turned into bacon. So I set them free, and it caused a ton of chaos in the town square."

"Maria, I know you love animals, but that wasn't the right thing to do."

"Now, Papa doesn't love me anymore and said he's sending me to a school in Spain."

She looked worried. I didn't want my baby being around a bunch of total strangers.

"Honey, go on up to your room."

As I lay curled up on my bed with my plush puppy, I stared at the wall across from me. I can't believe I won't see San Angel until I graduated from school.

I decided to play with a couple of my toys while I waited. Then, the front door slammed with the force only my papa could handle.

Worrying that I wasn't supposed be playing, I threw my toys under the bed, and put my ear to the door.

"Rachel! Our Maria has gone too far!"

"I know; she told me what happened when she got here."

"She needs to be respectful."

"She's only seven!"

"I don't care! She needs to start learning how to be lady while she's young. Just think about it; if we don't do something, by the time she's eighteen, she'll be running with the animals like she was raised by them!"

I knew then that there was no choice, no chance in bribing him, or convincing. Almost instantly, I heard one of them coming up the stairs. Once I heard the grumbling, I knew it was Papa.

I ran and crawled under the bed. I got so mad when I heard him knock.

"Go away!"

"Maria, open that door! Or I'll-"

"You'll what?! Send me away? That's already on your agenda!"

Quietly, he opened the door and walked in. He knew my favorite spot to hide was under the bed.

"Mi hija, please come out from under there; my back hurts."

My instinct kicked in, and I obeyed in crawling back out, and massaged his back when he sat down on my bed.

"I'll certainly miss this while your away."

"So don't get rid of me."

"I'm not getting rid of you. I'm sending you to a school where you'll learn how to be respectful."

I stopped rubbing his back and crashed my face into my pillow.

"I love you."

I turned towards him again and my tears were raining again.

"I love you too, Papa."

He kissed me on the forehead.

Our tender moment broke when my heart did.

"Well, your train leaves for Spain tonight. Mama will come up here in a few minutes with a snack and help you with your luggage."

As he left, I sat on the edge of my bed and stared sadly at the ground.

Then, I looked out my window.

"Goodbye Joaquin. Goodbye San Angel...and goodbye Manolo.

PART 1 END


	2. Chapter 2: The Guitar

After Mama helped me pack, she dolled me up in a white dress that was draped in black stripes; I looked like a ref for Ninos Soccer. Then, she gave me a matching bonnet to go with it.

Over and over again, I begged to stay, but Papa's mind was made up. He didn't enjoy the thought of sending me away, he was trying to stay firm.

I said bye to Mama at the front door. She said she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to me at the train station. We hugged, and she gave me a baggie of cookies and a thermos with milk fresh from the cattle on my_ abuelo's _farm.

"They don't serve very good food on these transportation services." she sniffed.

I gently placed the cookies and thermos in my carry on bag.

"Before I leave, can I do a couple of things?"

"Maria, you're going to school, not dying."

"I know; I just wanted to bring one of my toys, and replace Manolo's guitar with my allowance I saved."

I saved so many pesos that I earned to buy myself a fencing sword and, pay for my own tuition for a martial arts class. I had been wanting to try that for a while, but there were so many to choose from: muay thai, kung fu, wing chun, karate and even jujitsu or judo.

Mama and Papa gave each other those looks that parents have when they're both trying to make sure both were comfortable with the decision they were about to say out loud.

When they did that, I used to think that when two people married, they magically developed psychic abilities to read each other's thoughts. But I had that loco idea when I was a kid.

I am now a whopping seven years old, and no longer a child.

They said it was alright.

There were still two hours until my train left. Papa and I walked to a store that sold used instruments. I found a guitar that had obviously well taken care of from its first parent. I got so excited when the price tag was something I could afford without Papa's help.

He helped me take it off the shelf. Even though there weren't any scratch marks or broken strings, the guitar itself was so plain. But all the others were too expensive for my allowance. I started walking towards the counter to pay, but then, I was given a sign that the guitar wasn't ready to be gift wrapped.

Literally, I saw a sign in the back that said whatever was picked out could be personalized.

While Papa was distracted by a an old friend he ran into, I walked to the back and found the tables that had everything needable for personalizing a gift. One table had paint and stickers, and the second table had knives and needles that people used in carving inscriptions.

It was time I got my artist on. I painted stars, stripes, hearts and skulls all over it, and then wrote in a cursive type of printing, _'Always play from the heart. Love, Maria.' _on it. The paint dried pretty quick, and I put it on the counter.

"Will you please gift wrap this?"

"Would you want formal or birthday party style?"

"Birthday party, please."

I suddenly realized my money was low, and I couldn't afford the wrapping. Papa noticed how worried I was, and placed a few extra coins on the counter.

"Thanks, Papa."

The guitar was wrapped in colorful paper and put in a box that was designed to easily open without having to untie the bow.

Manolo and Joaquin had were already waiting at the train station for me. I gave Papa a kiss on the cheek, and he went home after that. I heard Joaquin was going to join Papa's soldiers. It obviously wasn't a rumor when I saw him wearing the light violet uniform. He looked like a little Mexican G.I Joe.

I hugged Joaquin first.

"We're gonna miss you." He said.

Then I hugged Manolo. He didn't say anything.

"Don't stop playing." I told him with a sad smile.

I looked at Joaquin.

"And you don't stop fighting for what's right." I said.

I was getting ready to give Manolo his gift, but then he surprised me with one.

"This is for you. You might wanna open it now."

Joaquin looked as if he felt like an idiot.

"Wait, we were supposed to bring gifts?!"

Manolo and I laughed at his adorable innocence.

I opened the box, and gasped at a baby pig in there; wiggling on his back like a puppy and shaking his googled eyes around. When he saw me, he leaned on the edge of the box like a puppy and stared up at me like he wanted to be picked up like a baby.

"His name is Chuy." Manolo said.

"Aww! I remember you." I told Chuy while holding him like a teddy bear.

"I'm sorry I forgot to bring you a gift, Maria." said Joaquin.

I ignored him and asked if he'd hold Chuy for a second. I then pulled out the gift box for Manolo and apologized for smashing his first guitar.

He didn't have time to answer when the train whistle called for me to board. All three of us felt like somebody had just punched us in the stomachs; we didn't wanna be separated.

I quickly snatched Chuy from Joaquin and ran to train.

Then, a hiccup from the wind blew my bonnet off my head. I didn't have any time to try to catch it.

I started sniffling as the train started moving. It was starting to speed up when I heard someone.

"_MARIA!"_

I looked out the window and smiled. Manolo was holding his new guitar, and running next the train.

"When you come back, I will play for you!"

Joaquin appeared next to him and was holding my bonnet.

"And I will fight for you!" he called.

They made me feel much more calm about leaving. I smiled and sighed while I sat back down in my seat. I had some good friends.

The train eventually rocketed across the tracks like a bus with fireworks attached to the back. Chuy fell asleep next to my lap. I stared out the window and watched the world dash past me. It was like I was traveling through time or racing the world while the mini cactuses and boulders looked like little dim blurs, and the hills lagged behind. They reminded me of the Tortoise and the Hare. Half sped, half remained slow.

PART TWO ENDING


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival to Spain

It was the next day when I woke up; only an hour was left between me and Spain. It didn't look like there were any attendants working yet.

But I didn't need the terrible train cuisine Mama talked about; I still had her homemade cookies in my bag, and the thermos filled with milk was put in the refrigerator near the back of the car, so it'd stay milk and not end up like cottage cheese by the time the heat from daytime came.

I told Chuy to stay, and watch my bag. The nine other travelers on the car stared at me as I got up to fetch my thermos. (especially some other seven year old boys.) It was starting to scare me, so I decided to scare them.

"What're you staring at?!"

My raised voice made them return their eyes ahead, or back to the window they were staring at before.

I felt a little more protected when Chuy came running from the seat, and bleated while he stood in front of me like a guard dog. They jumped when he made that unnatural sound. Most pigs oink; Chuy bleated like a goat.

He followed me to the refrigerator and nuzzled against my ankle. I guess he wanted something to eat; so I left some money in the jar they left there and bought him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a plastic bottle of strawberry milk.

We sat back down, and he put his head on my knee like the puppy he was.

"Thanks, Chuy." I said while petting his head.

I guess it would be a waste of time to worry while I had Chuy. He was cute and loyal.

It wasn't hard to see he wanted to be my pet; when I first saw him in the corral, I called him cute, and his eyes turned into hearts.

By 3:45, the train stopped, and here we were. I picked up my luggage and saw waited outside the station. Papa told me somebody from the school would pick me up.

Chuy stayed in defense mode and bleated at everyone who walked by us. Maybe he thought everyone there had it in for me. 15 minutes died, and this van pulled up. A strict dressed woman came out and held up a sign with my name on it.

Quickly, I took my luggage and waved as I came up to her.

"May I help you, young lady?"

"My name is Maria Posada."

"Oh, good! We didn't have to wait too long for each other. Anyway, join me on the van, and you'll be served a late lunch at the cafeteria. She sat next to me when Chuy and I sat down again. I was tired of traveling! Even though I wasn't walking, I just wanted to get inside a building.

"My name is Elizabeth Rey." She put her hand out so I could shake it.

"Hi."

Chuy once again popped up from under the seat and growled at her this time.

"Bad boy, Chuy!" He sadly crawled back under.

"Sorry about my pig. When we get to school, I'll keep him behaving."

Hopefully Chuy'd learn that everyone he doesn't know is not going to hurt me. Elizabeth looked a little uncomfortable; maybe she was about to say ladies don't own pigs. But I didn't want a dog, or a cat, or a majestic bird.

"He's very cute, dear; but I don't Ms. Beal will be okay with you keeping him.

"Is Ms. Beal the principal?"

"Yes. But he's only a baby, and so if you ask her, she might give you a rare permission."

She pulled out a fan and held it in front of her face from the ridge of her nose and down to her chin.

"Why do you have a fan?"

"It's proper for a lady to cover her face and walk with royal posture."

I guess that they'd be teaching me a lot of things about being a proper lady. A fan? Why is that proper? What else? Eating with a fork the size of a toothpick?

The van slugged down. The school looked like a mansion.

"Come dear." She said and handed me a fan.

I left it on the seat for a minute to pick up my back pack, and tried to hurry and follow her, but I heard something that sounded like a little bell on the floor. I looked under the seat, and saw a collar. Maybe somebody else smuggled a pet. The collar was black leather and had a tag in the shape of a heart.

Guess what the tag said.

Chuy! Manolo probably put it in my bag when I didn't notice. Chuy saw it was for him and sat still while put it on. It looked cute!

Then I remembered Elizabeth was already off the van and waiting for me. I took the fan and put it in front of my face and tried walking like I was a princess.

She glared down at Chuy when he oinked.

END OF PART 3


	4. Chapter 4: The New School

The new school took some getting used to. I hated being at the command of almost everyone there; I was somewhat of an outcast, but that didn't matter to me I like being different.

After tons and tons of begging the school principal, she still refused to let me keep Chuy in my room. If I wanted to stay out of trouble, I had no choice except to leave him outside, in the barn with all the other animals they kept for horseback riding and of course feeding purposes.

However, relief came to me when he was pardoned out of being used as a food source because he was a pet. The caretaker of the animals always complained to me of how he'd cry and squeal every night because I wasn't there.

But I didn't completely ignore him or anything; after school, I'd run outside to the barn and do my homework next to the pen he and alot of other animals were kept in. I even enjoyed feeding him my leftovers from any special event that went on.

I missed him so much during school hours and even tried to sneak out and eat lunch in the barn, but I was caught by a few snitches and got into trouble for it of course. Among trying to make sure Chuy was okay, and stay up to date with my school work, everything pretty much was okay.

The teachers weren't mean, but they certainly were strict.

Once I let my rebellious fire die down a little, I realized that Spain was a very beautiful place. On field trip days, we got to visit the village that was close by, and bought souvenirs with the money we earned from taking janitorial duty with our free time.

I bought a leash for Chuy, so I was allowed to take him for walks before and after school. Even above all the beauty of this new place, it still had its obstacles.

Spain was filled with spoiled rich kids who thought they were better than everyone, and they often looked down to me because I was from Mexico. However, when I mentioned I was the general's daughter, I was widely accepted by them, but there were still a few who didn't like me.

Once again, It didn't bother me, it just annoyed me. There four of them. The Romero Sisters. You could tell they were related; their dressed had all the same designs, but each of them wore a different color, not to mention, they all had a beauty mark on their face and they all had the same stuck up attitude.

They often would make jokes about how I was a peasant compared to them, or how I'd never be as pretty as them.

I did my best to brush their words off but as we got older and went into our teenage years, their beauty jokes were really starting to get to me.

At the end of the day after classes, I'd often find myself looking into my dresser mirror before bed.

Was I pretty? 

Then I turned eighteen. The day I was expecting a special package from my parents. My birthday landed on a Saturday this year, so the day was mine and Chuy's. Because I had proven myself responsible over the years and was a prize student, Chuy was allowed in my room.

I felt ready to take on the day when I woke up and heard my name being called as I finished pulling my mountain of hair up.

"Mail call for Maria Posada!" I heard on the outside of my door.

I ran out to greet the mailman outside my dorm and thanked him once the papers were signed.

You'll never believe what happened next.

END OF PART 4


	5. Chapter 5: The Romero Sisters

I excitedly walked down the hall with my package in arms. Chuy followed behind. I decided to enjoy the fresh spring air, and open the box out in the front yard of the school. As I rushed to the doors, I was stopped by those terrible voices that I always found annoying.

"Hey, Maria!"

I rolled my eyes before I turned to face them. There they were; the Romero Sisters once again trying to stick their new noses into my business! Aye, I hated them so much.

Topaz, the one in the yellow, came up to me. First, she looked at me, then she looked at my box. I saw her green eyes get a devilish gleam.

"What'cha got there?" She smugly asked

"Nothing. Just a birthday present from home."

"Oh? Today's your birthday, huh?"

I clutched my package tighter to me.

"Yeah, I'm eighteen."

"Wow. Eighteen."

She was really starting to make me feel uncomfortable. And something told me it had to do with my birthday present; all I'm saying is that, if she doesn't stay away from it, I'm gonna have to show her how we settle things in San Angel.

Then I saw Jade, the one in green come up from behind me, I flinched when she flicked the back of my ear; I turned to yell, but that took my attention off the box, and before I knew it, the sister in pink, Pearl, snatched the box from me, and started ripping off the tape. Chuy was about to bite them, but I told him to back off.

"Hey! Knock it off!" I yelled. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? I never did anything to bother them. I rushed to retrieve it, but then Azalea, the girl in purple, continued to block me from the other three sisters, who were now looking through the letters, and little gift boxes that had been wrapped with care.

"That is invasion of privacy!"

"Oh, shut up." Said Jade

She picked up a bundle wrapped in colorful tissue paper and threw it across the hall. I knew it was fragile when I heard it crash into pieces. The paper had been taped around the gift, so when I opened it, I cried at the sight of seeing a glass figurine of a rose that was now broken into half.

"Aww, poor little Maria" said Topaz "Her pwecious birthday present is broken."

I glared at them with my ruby eyes soaked; Chuy walked up to me and tried to help me by nuzzling himself against me like a puppy. It got even worse when I saw Pearl and Azalea looking at a few letters.

"Ooh, what do we have here?"

They looked at me and then started ripping them That was it, I tried to be nice.

I ran to them, took Jade by the arm, and then flipped her over my back.

"Put my package down!" I yelled

Chuy then jumped in and started tugging at Pearl's dress. As the three other girls tried to corner me in, I told e'm who was boss...the hard way. Because younger children might be reading this story, I won't get into detail about the beating I gave them when they tried to fight.

Let's just say, I spent my eighteenth birthday in the principal's office. Chuy was taken away from me and put back in the barn with the other animals, and each Romero sister had an injury bad enough for their dad to sue my father for.

Man, I really did it now.

As punishment, I was not allowed to return home for Spring Break, and the principal herself swatted my hand and the back of my neck eighteen times. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

One would think that because I was their prize student, I'd be given a little slack. After being scolded, I was sent back to the hall to clean up the mess where my birthday package was all over the place. I used the box to carry all the paper and crystal leftovers from the Romero sisters' trouble they caused.

I returned to my room and tried gluing the figurine back together, along with taping the letters back into place; I wanted so badly to hear from my family and friends once again. The first letter was from Papa.

"_Dear Maria, your Mama and I miss you very much; how is everything at school? Have you made any friends? We'd really love to see that pretty penmanship of yours respond. Happy Birthday and enjoy this gift package. Even though we can't be here to celebrate your birthday on the exact day, we're eagerly expecting your return for Spring Break._

_Love, Papa &amp; Mama"_

I sighed. I could almost hear his heart break in half at the thought of having to tell him I wouldn't be there until the next time students were granted freedom. When was that? Graduation. I was two more months away from it.

The next letter was from Joaquin.

"Dear Maria, it's been so long; I'm sorry I didn't write to you last time. I've become a military hero and promise to be at the birthday celebration your parents are holding for you."

~Love Joaquin"

I smiled. Almost impossible to believe I was reading this from a guy who was now 11 years older than he was when I left San Angel.

Once again thinking of my dilemma, I read the letter from Manolo.

"Dear Maria, I am writing this to you as I work on a new song; It's in honor of your return for Spring Break; I've missed you so much. How's Chuy? And what about Spain? Is it beautiful? Oh, and by the way, there was something important I wanted to tell you"

I squinted at the paper in confusion and noticed that a few more pieces containing Manolo's message was missing. I quickly looked around to try and look for them, but they were no where to be found.

Then, just when I thought that things couldn't get any worse, sister Ana broke my door open and dragged me back to the principal's office.

Now what?

END OF PART 5


	6. Chapter 6: You Got the Wrong Chica

As the sister pulled me down the hall like I was a child, I felt so confused; what did I do now? I thought we had everything covered.

The principal had a very stern face when I re-entered.

"Maria Posada, I must say I'm very disappointed in you; you were a prized student here, and now your defying our rules of doing homework with one of our male students?"

Male student? What male student? In the school, there were three separate floors; one held classes for the girls, one for the boys, and the third floor at the very first entrance of the building was the cafeteria.

"I don't know what you're talking about ma'am."

She held up a piece of paper so small it looked like it had been ripped off of something like a...letter. She must've found the missing piece from the letter Manolo wrote me.

As much as I wanted to deny it, several boys at the school had a little trouble staying away from me whenever we all went outside; and the sisters noticed.

Would they believe me? I had to try.

"Miss Beal, please, I promise you I'd never ever break that rule."

"Oh, really? Then why on the back of the paper, does it say: _I've always loved you, and wish that you'd accept my marriage proposal; until then, Mi Amor, keep writing. _

_Love Manolo Sanchez."_

Manolo? San Angel Manolo...loves me?

Then she gave me such a dirty look as if I was a peasant. Then I remembered, there was a boy at the school with the same name who was in love with me and it was no secret either. Now I was really in trouble. They actually thought I was in a secret and forbidden relationship with a student.

"Well Miss Posada; we're waiting for an explanation."

I couldn't speak and was too lost in thought to answer.

"It appears you have no explanation and were lying to me. For that I'll have to upgrade your punishment for the fight; we'll have to telegram your father."

"Gasp! No please, Miss Beal! I'm begging you no to! He'll never speak to me again, and I won't have a place to stay; I'm only eighteen and have been living st a boarding school! Please!"

Miss Beal looked down at her desk. And then looked at my pleading face.

"Very well. But as for your punishment, your hair will be cut as an example for the other girls and you will be privately tutored, and completely isolated from the other students."

I nodded in relief to the idea that she refrained from making my father disown me by sending him a message. I wanted to try to justify myself, but they wouldn't believe me, and there was just too much coincidence.

After apologizing for the trouble I didn't commit, the vice principal took me by the arm once again and took me down to a room that was cut off from the rest of the school. On the sign, it said, "The Example Room"

She had me sit on a chair, tears were forming when I felt her grab my enormous ponytail. I could hear the scissors making that terrible noise. I started crying as I watched a curl fall one by one.

I couldn't let her.

Before she snipped off another lock, I jumped up from the chair.

"No!" I shouted.

"I didn't start that fight and I'm not in love with that boy you think I am."

I ran to the principal's office and snatched that piece of paper right off her desk.

"What are you doing here? Your hair isn't short yet, Miss Posada!"

"I'm dropping out! I'm taking my bags, and I'm taking my pig, yes, my pig, and I'm boarding the first train to San Angel.!" I responded.

As I walked back to my dorm, I read the paper over and over again. Manolo loves me? What if I don't feel the same way about him? That'll totally jeopardize our friendship. But it was still a very sweet thing to write.

As I packed, I taped the final piece of the paper to the end of the letter where it belonged. Then I read the whole message over again; you know what? Sue me. I love him too.

My bags were packed, I retrieved Chuy from the barn, and headed for the train station.

As I clutched my ticket, and waited for out train on the seat near the souvenir shop they had there, Chuy saw my worry and snuggled up to me. I smiled down at him and gave him a pet.

Then I thought of all the troubles I had and hugged him tight; I cried so much.

"Oh, Chuy! What am I gonna do? How am I ever gonna tell Papa the truth? He'll never love me again!"

Hours later, I woke up to a dark sky, Chuy was at my side. I must've fallen asleep. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes.

Then I heard it.

The train whistle. Time to leave.

The entrance opened, and I felt my heart pound.

"San Angel, here I come."

END OF PART 6


	7. Chapter 7: Maria vs Chakal

Chuy and I climbed into the train; it felt nice to see these old leather seats that were never replaced. The windows, baggage holders, and even the uniforms on the employees hadn't changed a bit since I was 7.

Besides a few other couples and one child, Chuy and I were the only ones on board. The ticket taker came by with his hole-puncher. I wasn't even paying attention when he stopped right next to my seat.

He cleared his throat. I didn't hear. He cleared his throat one more time, and I looked up at him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Ticket, please, Miss."

"Oh, of course." I kindly said as I handed him the ticket and the certified slip that allowed me to bring Chuy with me. The man was about to walk away, but then I was stopped with more bad news.

"I'm sorry, Miss; but pets are not allowed in this part of the train. I'll have to take him back in the kennel."

Chuy squealed in fear and crawled under the seat. I kneeled next to his hiding spot and tried to comfort him.

"Sir, the last time I brought him on board he was allowed."

"Yes, we used to allow pets but not anymore."

"Oh. Alright. It's okay Chuy, he's just gonna take you to the back with all the other animals; you won't be alone."

He shook his head at me and backed up.

"I promise you'll be okay."

After reluctantly crawling back out, I hooked the leash to his collar, and told the man to be careful while he took him to the back. Poor Chuy must've thought that he was going to be turned into bacon.

I mean, he was in a cage in San Angel, he was in a cage at school, and now he was being kept in a cage here on the train. Poor little guy. At least I knew he'd just have to get used to bad lighting back there.

As the train ran through the night, I pulled a favorite book of mine out of my back pack and read wherever I left off. I don't know why I loved this story so much; it was a fantasy romance novel about two peasants who find that without each other, they would be the poorest of poor without their love for each other. The story wasn't too long, but the train ride was; so before we even made it half-way through, I gone from chapter 5 to chapter 9.

Sometimes, when I felt the story was beginning to lag, I imagined I was in the story as my favorite character; in this case, I was the poor baker's daughter who fell in love with the town blacksmith's son.

As I read, I imagined myself dressed in a poor villager's outfit, walking down through the village with a bread basket in hand. I was wearing a red bandana over my head and under my jaw.

I was walking to the blacksmith's to visit Charles the blacksmith's son. I walked into the main room where the anvils were kept and batted my eyes at him. He turned, and I gasped when I saw Manolo look back at me. It was love at first sight. Later that evening, he serenaded me and we danced.

He held me into a dip, and w

Then I opened my eyes. I must've fallen asleep; what a weird dream. That's when I remembered Manolo's letter; quickly, I pulled it out of my back pack and read the letter over and over again. I couldn't believe he loved me.

I wonder when he decided he loved me. Then again, it might just be infatuation; I haven't even seen him in 10 years. I mean, he doesn't even know what I look like. Then again, I don't even know what he looks like; so how could my mind have created such a vivid picture in my mind?

Yes, we wrote, but we never sent pictures.

All this thinking about home was making me hungry. I got out my coin purse where all my money was kept. Then I walked to the back where the snacks were kept and bought a thermos of tea and a few cookies.

As I returned to my seat, I sipped the cranberry teaand enjoyed the view of the moon smiling down on silhouette of a howling wolf.

Then, the lights went out. At first I thought it was just a minor error, until I heard people screaming, and deep evil voice I'd never heard before. When the lights came on, our eyes widened in horror when I saw a fleet of bandidos looting from everyone.

Then there was a pounding on the roof, and I could see the form of a giant fist. The train violently bounded across the tracks.

Then I decided to nip this in the bud. I ran to the outside of the car, and climbed up the side; good thing my fencing sword was nearby; I found myself on the top of the train and saw him...it was Chakal! The king of bandits! I held my sword up to him and he didn't like it. My kung fu skills only lasted for so long before he used his hand to knock me off my feet, and I was hanging off the side of the train.

Soon enough, the train was coming to a tunnel; and here I was in the right spot to crash. Just as the train was about to enter the tunnel, I let go, and somersaulted away from the tracks. However, the rough landing, made my knees hurt and I ended up square on my butt.

Then, I watched the train disappear. Now what? Those poor people and Chuy were still on there with all those bandits. I couldn't let them get hurt, so I followed it...with my sword in hand.

It took a while, but I managed to catch up and see Chakal still standing on the train like he was king of the world.

Quickly, I devised a rescue plan and climbed up a hill where it would take only a couple of minutes before the train came into view. As it chugged past, I threw my sword like a throwing dart and yes! I got Chakal right in the eye, and he fell off the train and down the canyon.

Suddenly the train halted and raced to check on those people. When I arrived, they were all cheering; apparently, they saw what happedned and scared the bandidos off. Well, I must say this was the last thing I expected while returning home.

For my bravery, I was scheduled to appear in the San Angel town square and receive a medal, along with just an extra...they let Chuy sit with me again.


	8. Chapter 8: Casa Sweet Casa

After the Chakal attack, the train ride didn't seem to go by any faster. However, everyone else started treating me like the President; and although it was very kind of them, I didn't want any special treatment, I just wanted to go home.

To make the time go by much faster, I chose to sleep for the rest of the way. Chuy scooted over to the edge of the seat so I could stretch out and use him for a pillow. How cute! One would think that using a pig for a pillow would be very uncomfortable and smell pretty foul.

But not my Chuy. I always kept him clean, and he was the softest little guy around; not to mention his natural body heat. It was like a cordless electric pillow.

Later, when I woke, a fresh rain of sunlight was pouring into my window, and I felt nearly blinded on impact. But then the train scooted a little farther down the tracks and eventually a small town came into view...my town.

I could see the lake that looked like a skull San Angel sat upon, and the ridiculously oversized bull fighting ring. Wow, I didn't even realize how long it'd been since I smelled that familiar scent of aloe and fresh rain-soaked bark coming from that beautiful umbrella shaped tree on the outside of town. I remember always admiring it and trying my best to sketch it.

It was always a landmark. Back in 1907, a huge fire erupted from a bandido attack and torched the entire town and surrounding area; but that tree stayed. Even three years later, it stood strong, but you could still see the firey wounds it received. The base of it was a charcoal black, but like a soldier, it healed itself over time.

But all that happiness faded when I thought of Papa and Mama. Once again, how was I ever going to explain my dropping out to them? What if I ended up on the streets? Well, I guess it's be better to be homeless in my hometown than in a strange country such as Spain; even if it was beautiful.

My heart continued to race as we pulled into the station and there he was. Papa was waiting for me at the very front with a happy look on his face.

I did my best to make sure he didn't see me until I got off the train. Well, might as well get this over with. I climbed off with my suitcase in hand and Chuy at my side. As soon as he saw me, he ran and gave me a hug.

Was he always that short? He used to stand over me, but now I towered over him.

"Ay! Maria!" he said

"Hi, Papa."

"How was the train ride?"

I immediately thought of the Chakal battle on the train and tried to think of an excuse.

"Oh, fine, it was a little boring, but fine."

"How did you like your gifts?"

"They're great. Uh, where's Mama? At the house?"

He looked sadly down at the ground.

"What?" I asked.

"She's-gone, mija."

"W-what do you mean she's gone?"

"She died last month."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That doesn't make any sense! Besides, that just couldn't be possible, could it?

"Papa, you sent me a letter saying that both of you missed me."

"I couldn't find it in my heart to tell you unless you were right here."

"Why?"

"So I could comfort you."

I got very choked up and kneeled down so I could be at his level and hug him.

"Oh, Papa!"

"I know, I know." He said.

I could feel his hand stroking the back of my head.

"We'll talk about this later, mija; right now we're taling about you. Besides, you have an appointment today."

"What?"

"Today, your old friend is having his his first bullfight."

"Do you even know his name?"

"Not really, but Joaquin is here!"

I rolled my eyes. Papa never really like Manolo when we were growing up and always favored Joaquin because Captain Mondragon, Joaquin's father, and mine, were good friends. Not to mention, because Joaquin's mom took off with the sister he never knew, Papa took him in and raised him as his own.

"Anyway, you mean, Manolo?"

"Oh, yes, that Sanchez boy. Well, let's go home and get you cleaned up."

He took me by the hand and led me home. Chuy at my side the whole time. I'll admit, Papa wasn't happy about hearing that I took him with me and kept him the entire time. But I told him the truth that Manolo gave him to me as a good-bye gift when going away.

After washing my hair I looked into the bathroom mirror before scrubbing my face and cringed at the sight of a few uneven split ends on my hair that that principal had ordered I lost. I could believe I escaped that terrible punishment and survived Chakal's attack on the train.

Once again, how was I going to tell Papa?

I later returned downstairs wearing the new outfit Papa had bought for me; it was very plain, yet very beautiful. He bought me a long red skirt with yellow stripes and floral print near the ankles, and a white top with ruffles around the shoulders and had my favorite gold locket polished.

As we sat at the table enjoying a nice lunch, I decided to tell him, but then I was cut off before I could even say a word.

"You know, Maria, you've grown into a very beautiful young lady; Happy Birthday, Mija."

"Gracias, Papa."

"And you know, you're old enough to marry, now."

Oh, boy; where was he going with this?

"Yes." I answered

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to mince words; I want you to marry Joaquin."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Chakal is a threat to our town, and if you marry him, he'll be stationed here, and we'll remain protected by the world's greatest hero, not to mention-"

"Papa, I ran away!" I instantly shouted

Once I realized what I said, I covered my mouth with shock.

"What do you mean you ran away?"

"On my birthday, these girls who were always bothering me started tampering with the package you sent me and broke them, not to mention tore up the letters sent by everyone. So, I got into a fight with them, and I hurt them so bad; so I wasn't going to be allowed to return home; and then I was reading the sweetest letter from-"

Papa leaned in a little closer. Because he didn't like Manolo, I couldn't tell him he was making goo goo eyes at me through his letters, so I decided to pacify him.

"From Joaquin," I continued, "And the sisters thought I was in a secret relationship with a boy there of the same name, so they started cutting my hair, and I ran away. Then on the ride home, Chakal attacked the train and I fought him until he fell off; although I know he's still alive."

I saw his jaw drop.

"Mija, I had no idea."

"Do you hate me?"

"No! Never! I am very proud of hearing you take on Chakal; and as for those girls, did give at least one a black eye?"

I laughed.

"Yes, Papa."

"Ahh, that's my girl, avoiding the role of a doormat; they had no right to invade your privacy."

I was SO relieved. Once we finished lunch, it was off to the bullring. I told Papa to go on ahead without me so I could unpack. As he left, I reread the letter from Manolo and held it close.

I wonder what Joaquin and Manolo look like now.

I soon arrived, with my fan in my face like I was trained and sat quietly while watching Manolo. Everytime he smiled at me, I smiled back. He was very handsome now.

Although, he refused to finish the bull, I didn't mind, He was dissed for it and it caused a riot. My father pulled me out and from there an adventure started like you wouldn't believe.

THE END


	9. Chapter 9: The Snake

SPAIN: EXTRA CHAPTER 1 (WARNING SPOILERS)

_Author's note: In these extra chapters, I retell some of the movie through Maria's point of view. In this version, nobody knows of Manolo's death yet, while I add my on touch to a few things. _

_These extras are dedicated to fellow writer: Littlemisslondonlady_

_Thank you for all your support! I highly recommend you all read her stories as well for they are quite extraordinary! :)_

As I returned from my walk with Joaquin after the bandido attack, I found myself becoming very annoyed with the subject we were talking about and wished that I just brought up the weather or something besides his medals. Don't get me wrong, Joaquin is a great friend and I find him very lovable, but I said I wanted to hear about SOME of his awards, not all.

Now you must understand, there are two types of Mexican women: if you are not quiet and submissive, you are an extreme rebel; luckily, I trained myself to know when the rebel should come out and when to hold my tongue; so I believe I was a combination of both.

I thanked heaven for the mercy of letting my door be only a few yards away from us. But that didn't seem to stop him from talking and talking and talking.

"And I got this one for saving some orphans from a fire, and going back in for their cribs and going back in for their toys; and I also saved a little puppy one time that had a little thorn in his paw; and this one's for having the most medals-"

I kindly cut him off and gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Well, here we are; thank you for this most interesting conversation...about you." I clued.

He didn't seem to catch on to my signal; oh, well. As I headed for the front door, he stopped me once again.

"Uh, I have something for you, Maria." He said.

I smiled back at him as I saw him remove a piece of paper from his pocket.

"That is so nice of yo-" I immediately stopped when I realized that he had handed me an autographed picture of him.

"Wow, I'm speechless." I told him

"I know, right? I get that alot." He proudly said as he leaned down so I could kiss him on the cheek. I laughed and walked back to the front door.

"Goodnight, Joaquin."

To my poor longsuffering he stopped me again.

"Uh, Maria?"

"Yes?"

I saw him nervously reveal my old bonnet from his oversized sombrero.

"My bonnet! Aw, you kept it all this time?"

"Yeah, well, it's what's kept me going." He rarely and HUMBLY admitted.

This made me think twice about my decision on marriage. Maybe, maybe he wasn't the selfish man he made himself out to be from the beginning. I could see on his face that I was in the middle of a tough decision.

"About my proposal, will you at least think about it?" He asked.

I nodded and finally managed to get inside.

"Goodnight, Joaquin." I repeated, and closed the door without another word from him.

As I walked towards the staircase, I thought for sure I could still hear my popular suitor doing his own victory dance outside. This once again, caused me to roll my eyes at his lovable charm.

When I made it upstairs, I notcied the light was on in the study and followed it. Obviously Papa had been waiting up for me. He was sitting at the desk, reading his favorite book, Life on the Mississippi. Because we lived over the border, we always wondered what America would be like.

But because Papa wasn't very big on travel, he often found his questions answered about the country whenever he read.

Once he saw me, he closed the book and removed his spectacles.

"Oh, you're back so soon?"

"Papa, we were gone for three hours."

"Huh. Felt like only one. Anyway, how did it go with Joaquin?"

"Fine."

"Do you like him?" He hopefully asked.

"Yes, I like him just fine."

"Did you talk anymore about your marriage?"

"Papa, please stop pressuring me. I've only been home for 12 hours, and you just expect me to marry my lifelong friend?"

"Well, why not? He seems to like you, and obviously will always make sure you're safe."

"Don't you find the situation a little awkward?"

"What do you mean?"

"You took Joaquin in and raised him almost as your own son; it'd be like marrying my brother!"

"He's not your brother, Maria. And besides, if you don't marry him, you know what's on the line, here."

There he goes again, holding the town's safety over my head.

"I know, Papa. But I have more than just one man on my list."

"Who?"

"Well...Manolo."

"That Sanchez boy?!"

"Yes, that Sanchez boy."

"Maria, why?"

"Because, he's made it perfectly clear that cares about me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tonight, after I got upset with Joaquin about him making that sexist remark, Manolo played me the most beautiful song and, it's like the lyrics were just for me!"

"So that's why I thought I heard that guitar! Maria, I don't want you anywhere near that loser!"

"Papa, he's not a loser!"

"He's a bullfighter! They won't even come close to maing the money Joaquin makes."

"So, that's what it all boils down to? Money? I thought it was about protecting the town!"

"It is! But I also want to make sure you'll be taken care of as well."

"Papa,"

"I don't want to hear about that boy, anymore!"

I gave him an angry look and quietly walked back to my room.

When I opened the door, Chuy was waiting for me. He happily jumped and bleated, showing me he missed his owner.

"Hi, boy! You taking care of my room for me?"

He gave me a nod that signaled yes.

I climbed onto my bed and admired an old picture that was taken of me and my two buddies the day I left. We were all so cute, it just made me laugh. Not long after, I heard a clink against my window, that caused Chuy to protectively growl.

I opened the doors to my balcony and saw Manolo standing on the lamppost across from me.

"Meet me at the bridge, at dawn." He whispered

I gave him a smile full of remorse.

"I can't Manolo, my father won't-"

"Please, Maria; I beg you."

Remembering my father's words, I looked at Chuy for some help in deciding my decision. He just looked at me as if he didn't wanna be dragged into this. I then reluctantly and told him I'd meet him. He happily climbed down and took off into the night air. I wondered what he wanted.

I slept for a few hours and woke before sunrise. Because he seemed very anxious that are appointment was kept, I slept in my clothes, and sneaked down the stairs. Good thing Papa wasn't a morning person.

I ran through the dark town, and found myself breathless at a sight that wasn't there before. Manolo had set a trail of candles for me; and I heard the beautiful sound that six-stringed guitar from the other end of the bridge.

Enjoying the gift, I slowly walked and admired the path as I went and followed the music.

When I reached him, he'd finished the song and I just smiled up at him. It was at that moment, I knew who I wanted to marry. Before I could speak, he gently turned me facing back toward the town.

"This, this is what I wanted to show you."

We both quietly stood there for a few moments and watched in awe as the sun rose over the little town and I admired the glittering and sparkling radiance of our home.

"It's so beautiful." I said.

The moment became even more beautiful when I felt his strong arms around me.

"What you're feeling;" He turned me towards him again.

That's how I feel every time I'm with you. To my shock, he got down on one knee, and took my hand. I covered my mouth with one hand to hide my excited smile.

"I cannot offer you a ring; I have nothing to give, but my love."

"Oh, Manolo." I responded, and took his hand.

"I may not be the town hero, Maria, but I swear, with all my heart, I will never ever stop loving you."

I also got down on one knee to show that we were now equals.

"And I will never stop loving the man who plays from the heart."

Our wonderful moment was interrupted by the dark color of something that caught the corner of my eye. When, I heard it hiss, I gasped in terror to see a dark violet, two-headed snake with Mayan and Aztec designs all over it. I dared not stop to question the logic of its appearance but instead warned Manolo instantly.

"SNAKE!" I yelled and pushed him out of the way.

Before it came close enough, Manolo was out of harm's way, but I wasn't.

Almost in a split second, the creature latched onto my ankle with one bite, and I cried out from the stinging venom. The pain was only for a moment, but then everything around went into slow motion.

As I fell, I reached out to Manolo and saw him running for me. Before my head hit the ground, I felt his strong frame catch me, and then everything fell into darkness as my body went limp.

For a minute, I thought I heard him whisper one word:

"No." He sadly said. And before my senses completely disappeared, I heard his mourning voice cry out

"_AYUDA!" (Help)_

My surroundings were misty, and I tried to get my bearings.

"Hello?"

"Maria, help!" I heard.

When a section of the fog cleared, I saw Manolo hanging off the edge of an endless abyss.

"Manolo!" I ran to him and grabbed both of his hands. To my relief, I pulled him up and hugged him tight.

But that was the least of out troubles. The ground began to violently shake and as the earth under our feet crumbled, Manolo pushed me out of the way, and I screamed as I watched my love fall into the opening.

"I love you." He whispered as a single tear escaped

I vainly held out my hand and screamed; he was already gone.

Then, something strange happened.

I opened my eyes and gasped for breath.

"Manolo!" I yelled while sitting up.

When I looked around, I was in my room, and my father, Joaquin, the priest and a few nuns were around me.

"Oh, my goodness, it's a miracle!" I heard Papa say.

The nuns all crossed themselves.

"Thank you." they all harmonized while looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm, I'm, alive?"

I moved myself, and sat at the end of my bed. Papa and Joaquin helped me walk, for they figured that I was still weak.

"What happened?" I asked.

I thought hard and tried to wake my foggy mind, so I could remember. Then, it hit me.

"Wait, where's Manolo?"

I looked up at Joaquin, who had seated himself next to me.

"He's at home. But I wouldn't let him near you, Maria."

"Why?"

"W-we, thought you were dead; Manolo was the last person with you. And like a selfish loser, he ran from a snake that was trying to attack you."

I became angry and slapped him across the face. He quietly winced at the pain.

"Don't you ever talk about Manolo like that! He's our best friend."

"WAS our best friend." Joaquin stated.

"Will you stop?! Manolo didn't run from the snake! It was going to attack him, and I pushed him out of the way!"

Everyone gasped.

"I don't get it" Papa said, "When we heard Manolo's cry, we ran and found him carrying you across the bridge; we yelled and blamed him for your death; he didn't try to justify himself."

That confused me, as well. Why wouldn't Manolo try to clear things up?

"Maybe he really believed it was his fault." I said.

Everybody around me agreed.

"C'mon," I said while putting on my raincoat, "Papa, you and Joaquin both need to apologize to him."

We all rode on horseback around town. First, we stopped at Plaza de Sanchez to speak with his father.

Carlos said he hadn't seen Manolo since last night, and was just getting ready to look for him, as well.

When we couldn't find him, I thought maybe he'd run away, but that didn't sound quite right. Then, the idea came that maybe he was still at the tree, so we all, (including his dad) rode there, and fought the heavy rain.

As we crossed, I found his guitar lying in front of the tree. And then, only a few feet away, was a body.

As I dismounted, I prayed and begged that it wasn't him; and if it was, I hoped that he'd only been knocked out from slipping, or maybe even been ailed from catching a cold. I dashed to the body so fast, my rain coat couldn't keep up with me, and it fell off my shoulders.

"Manolo?" I asked while I stood over him.

"Manolo? Wake up." I calmly said while trying not to cry.

My voice started cracking when he didn't answer.

"Manolo! Manolo!"

Quickly, I crashed to his side, and sobbed and mourned. With all my strength, I cleaved to him and held his corpse as if he was about to be taken from me...even though he already was.

"Manolo! MANOLO!" I cried.

I soon felt a pair of strong hands on my shoulders and looked up to see Joaquin, who was crying as well.

"Come on, Maria, you're gonna catch your death for real out here." He said while draping my raincoat back over me, and he too crashed to our fallen friend's side

"_HERMANO!"_ I heard him cry. (Brother)

Carlos joined our cries, and held his son close to him.

"Oh, mijo; those last things I said to you, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it."

I found the scene even more heartbreaking when all I could hear come from him were the same words over and over again.

"_I didn't mean it, I didn't mean I didn't mean it." _He repeated.

Joaquin put a single hand on Manolo's shoulder and cried hard when he threw his hat down in anger and remorse. His anger became overwhelming when he stood back up and ripped the sombrero in half as he screamed.

"I'm sorry, Manolo!" He yelled, "I was wrong! It shouldn't have been you.!"

Carlos remained seated on his knees with Manolo cradled close. Papa even held me tight and shared my grief with me.

"I'm sorry I was so hard on you, boy." I heard him, say. He then pulled my hood over me, and tried to lead me back to my horse."

"Let's get you out of this rain, Mija."

For a while, I let him pull me along and then found a fire growing back within me when I saw Joaquin and Carlos both sharing a part in picking Manolo up. How did he die, anyway? I wondered.

I stood and waited for them to carry the body past us. But as they did, I noticed something out of the ordinary on Manolo's stiff ankles. I gently broke free from my father's grip and examined the wound; no, make that two wounds.

"Wait!" I said, and held him still for me.

There were four fang marks on each ankle, with rotting venom still freshly dripping from them. Then, the other pieces of the puzzle were falling together; I wasn't about to stop until the picture became whole and clear.

Manolo's veins had obviously burst, and a dark liquid spilled throughout the rest of his arm. Not to mention, the muscles around his neck looked like they tightened before his death.

From this, I came with a theory...Manolo committed suicide.

My breathing fell into a state of hyperventilation.

He was...smiling! Why was he smiling?! Why would he be smiling about death?!

The tears once again started my anger flew above then it ever has. My emotions commanded me to punch and smack his limp body.

"MANOLO YOU IDIOT! YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID IDIOT!" I screamed while pounding my fists on him. It made me all the more angry when he didn't respond to the punches.

My father held me back, and continued to mourn while they carried him past me.

"NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled until my throat wouldn't let me speak anymore. I dropped to my knees and sobbed.

Not long after, Papa and I returned to our house, where I accepted Joaquin's proposal. Why not? The man I really loved was gone, and the town needed protection.


	10. Chapter 10: Marriage & Sea-Level Grief

_SPAIN: EXTRA CHAPTER 2 "Marrying Joaquin, and Sea Level Grief"_

After hanging my raincoat up to dry by the fireplace, Papa, escorted me to my room where a few of his soldiers helped me avoid pneumonia. One of them draped a blanket over my shoulders, and the other brought me a cup of tea.

I thanked them, and asked them to leave me alone while I dealt with my loss.

Feeling my heart crumble, I opened the doors to my balcony and pulled up a chair right in front of them so I could watch the rain fall over my town. My grief and anger still forced me to fight the news of Manolo's death. It's times like this, where I realize just how quick somebody can go.

I'm not sure how long I was out, or dead, whatever you wanna call it, but it felt like everything had happened inside of a split second. The candle trail, the proposal, the snake, the nightmare, the finding of Manolo's rain kissed corpse. Time really does fly; and that was just with scary events; just think of what time's like when you're actually not thinking about it.

Even though we had just found out about Manolo no longer than an hour ago, it felt like an eternity. I remember everything of that soul-breaking sight, and I always will. As my saddened countenance clawed itself onto the view of gloomy, and rainy San Angel, I saw my late, fiancee` in the atmosphere ahead of me.

Terror crept over me. I saw his eerily, yet handsome face smiling with his eyes locked closed; almost as if he was having a sweet dream, and smiling at the view of a sunset, a childhood memory, maybe even his guitar.

His latte colored skin drained into an icy, milky color; and his dark, bandit hair curl dripping in the rainy cloud's tears.

I tried to stop thinking about those terrible memories by washing them down with the honey vanilla tea I was served.

Chuy cuddled near my boots, and tried to make me smile. But I could see, even he was in grief of Manolo.

I patted him on the back and made sure he knew I was thankful.

Then, I heard a fist on the outside of my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." I heard.

The familiar voice told me it was Joaquin. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, and quietly answered.

When the door opened, he looked very depressed. And I knew why; he told me the whole story of how when everyone thought I died, Manolo said it should've been him, and then in the coldest voice you could get, Joaquin answered _"Yes, it should have."_

I can only imagine what was going through both of their minds when that happened. Not only was that weighing over he and I; but, just the entire outcome of this day. I was proposed to, died, came back, engaged to my best friend, and appointed to be married all in the same day.

November 2nd. Hmm. I thought Dia de los Muertos was supposed to be a happy holiday. Well, from now on in my book it wouldn't.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I just wanted you to know that, yes, I may not be the guy you see-I mean, saw in Manolo; but, I still love you with all my heart, Maria. And I just want you to know that I'll make sure you'll be protected, and cherished."

This had to be a clone of Joaquin or something.

"But I thought that women-"

"I know. I didn't mean those things I said at the dinner. I was just so caught off guard and impressed."

"With what?"

"Your beauty. Maria, you are an incredible woman, and the whole time you were away at school, Manolo and I argued over who loved you more."

"Love?"

"We always competed for everything; but we both were smitten with you from day one, and secretly competed for your hand."

I never thought that Joaquin could be so down to earth. He was always known to be on his high horse alot. Literally, and metaphorically.

I may have lost Manolo, but, maybe marrying him wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Do you want to be alone?" He asked.

"Um, yeah. After all, it's inappropriate to see the bride before the wedding." I tried joking with him to lift this black veil of loss off of us.

We both sadly chuckled trying to shake the tension.

"Well, until our meeting at the wedding...Mi Amor." he said.

I smiled at him.

Without anymore words exchanging, I closed the door and sighed out a cloud of depression; it made me feel lighter.

Although, I was still upset.

END OF CHAPTER 2


	11. Chapter 11: Wedding Bells

SPAIN: EXTRA CHAPTER 3: Our town, our fight

As the rain ceased, I walked out onto my balcony once more to see the town that had just been showered in heaven's tears. The clouds thinned and eventually, the sun's rays began to glitter through and I felt a fresh start coming. Even though so much had happened, I'd just have to learn to get over it.

Besides, it's inappropriate to obsess over a man that's gone, while I'll be sharing my life with another. I couldn't stop thinking about Manolo. What if he was looking down on me from the clouds with a broken heart as he saw me preparing for a wedding that's taking place about 5 hours after his proposal to me, and his death?

Oh, forgive me, Manolo. But your gone, and San Angel needs Joaquin to keep us safe. Even though Joaquin will win my heart over sooner or later, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for you.

I soon heard crying. Chuy came running up next to me, and together we looked down from the balcony to see Mr. Sanchez carrying an object of a dark color. Becoming curious, I snatched my binoculars from my closet and zoomed in on the mysterious sight.

I wished I hadn't. I gasped so loud, I was worried he heard me; thankfully he didn't. I saw Carlos walk to the Proposal Tree, and start digging a hole. That's when I realized Manolo was that dark bundle Mr. Sanchez was carrying. He must have wrapped the corpse in a blanket.

My eyes began overflowing when he started lowering the body into the grave, and a gust of autumn's wind blew a portion of the covering off, so I could see Manolo's face. He hadn't been dead for that long, but that still doesn't mean the decaying process waited.

Like I mentioned, Manolo had been dead for only about five hours, and his skin was taking the rotting stage already. I cried and cried. HE WAS SMILING!

Quietly, I watched as Carlos recovered Manolo's face, and put him into the earth.

I thought for sure I'd faint while seeing the broken-hearted father pick up a nearby shovel and toss handfuls of hydrated soil into the hole and cry while he performed it. I don't know why, but I kept torturing myself by zooming in even nearer up to the point where I could see just the wrapped up shell. And little by little, the uncoffined grave became higher and higher as he dirt rose to the top.

From there, Carlos snatched a nearby sack he had brought with him. At first I thought it was just the bag to put the shovel back into; but then I saw him remove some interesting contents. Candles, marigolds, a poster of Manolo, a matador's cape, and an old, red, broken...guitar.

That was the very same guitar Manolo used to own when we were kids. I remember that day when we released all those animals and the instrument had been smashed in the process. Who knew that his family still held onto it?

Once the grave had been flattened out, he piled up the marigolds into a small, hill-like fashion. Then from there, he taped up that poster of Manolo over it. His cries became even more noticeable while he placed a nail into the tree while hanging the cape, and rested the broken guitar into the bed of flowers. Carlos' final touch was to scatter the candles all over; and then he kneeled.

He just kneeled. Poor man; once Manolo grew up, they never exactly had the tightest relationship. If only they knew how to exchange words.

I refused to watch anymore and decided to visit my father in the dining room. As he watched me descend from the stairs, he gave me a tender smile that contained a touch of sympathy.

"Hi, mi hija."

"Hi, Dad."

"Are you feeling better."

I wished he didn't ask that. Right now, I was in the process of trying to erase the sight of watching Manolo's burial from my mind, and now he brought it all back from that question of his.

"J-just fine..."

"Are you alright? Did you catch a cold from the rain?"

"No. I saw Mr. Sanchez burying Manolo from my balcony."

He patted the chair next to me. I obeyed the signal, and sat next to him. From the corner of my eyes, I could see his heart ache for me. Papa was never good with words, so he scooted the plate of cookies over to me.

"Maria, I know you loved that boy. But you're going to be marrying Joaquin today, and if you're gonna spend your life with him, then you need to get that Matador out of your head."

"Papa, he just died!"

"I know. I know. I'm not saying to get over him immediately, I'm just saying don't let him haunt you. Now come on over to the church; Sister Ana has been nice enough to sew you a last minute wedding dress. It's no prize, but It'll look just great on you."

Sadly, we walked to the church. I watched the sunrise's colors wash over the sky like a palette of orange, pink, and yellow watercolors had been spilled.

The sisters in the church began gave me the dress, the guests started pouring in. Everyone in town must've been there. Who could blame them? They were about to watch the protection creed being sealed at the altar.

The world felt gloomy around me as I walked down the aisle without so much as a bouquet. The candles weren't lit, and there were no decorations.

Joaquin was dressed in a white suit and gloves. He tried his best to smile, but we both knew we weren't in this chapel today for love.

The priest, Father Domingo, began.

"Maria Posada, do you take Joaquin to be your husband?"

I stood there feeling my frown become heavier and heavier.

"Yes. For San Angel, I do."

My conscience smacked me as I had just heard myself. I looked to the side to see Joaquin frown.

"And do you, Joaquin Mondragon, take Maria as your wife?"

He froze.

"I-I"

The ceremony was quickly interrupted by the sound of crashing and the sound of what I thought of the roof caving in. We all turned towards the front door and saw a couple of kids standing there screaming out a warning I was afraid of hearing.

"CHAKAL IS HEEEEERRRRREEEE!"

Before I could say anything, Joaquin sounded panicked. I saw him scanning his hand over his suit.

"M-my medal! It's on my other suit! I gotta go!"

Quickly, he took off out the side door. Almost on cue, I heard my father panic.

"But Joaquin is the only one who can defeat Chakal!"

Everyone that sat in the church quivered and quaked as they all began praying for their life.

It was about time this town regained its bravery. Before Joaquin ever became a hero, San Angel was tough; but they got used to a young man fighting their battles for them.

"We can fight them together, Papa."

END OF CHAPTER 3


	12. Chapter 12

Quickly, I changed out my wedding dress and back into my casual clothes. The whole town had gathered outside where I could make sure they heard me.

"Everyone, listen up! Look around you, you what I see?"

They all shook their heads.

"I see proud people ready to fight for their beloved town, and I see that inside each of you is a strength that cannot be measured."

The adorable, and oldest of the Rodriguez Bros. came up to me, babbling as if he was in disbelief that he could be anything except a mariachi.

"Yes," I said, "Even in you, Pepe."

Feeling like a world-class motivational speaker, I snatched a nearby fencing sword and stood above everyone with my father at my side.

" This Day of the Dead will never be forgotten. We will teach Chakal that he is messing with the wrong town; San Angel, I swear before you, we will not fall, not today, not ever! Now who's with me?!"

I raised the sword above them while they copied me. Then, the triumphant moment was broken by a silly remark I heard from Papa.

"You are like the son I never had; only much prettier!" he said.

We all lined up in front of the church with our weapons held high. Chakal growled at me as he recognized my face from the train attack. I just made sure he saw my battle face.

Our moment of truth was so rudely interrupted by Joaquin rushing in on his horse.

"Hey, Chakal, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Surprisingly, he got a response.

"'Cause no one's that big, Man!" The voice called.

My temper rose a little as he stood there looking prouder than ever.

"Where have you been?" I asked sternly

My father ignored the question and just praised Joaquin for being here in the knick of time, but Chakal could've cared less.

"Soldier boy, you give me that medal RIGHT NOOOOOWWWWW!"

Joaquin covered his suit as if he were protecting a treasure. I ripped the sash off his chest and saw the gleaming, green medal he tried so much to keep a secret from me the day before.

"All of this, is about a stupid medal? Are you kidding me?!"

I was once again ignored as he handed me his cape like I was some sort of maid.

"Not now, Maria, it's Joaquin Time."

He dashed in as usual, calling his name out for a battle cry. For a while, he remained safe from Chakal's punches, but soon found his courage crushed when the medal ended up flying off his suit as he dodged a close scratch.

All of a sudden, a side of Joaquin came out that I hadn't seen before; a cowardly side. Then, almost instantly, the bandit king sent Joaquin flying into the cemetary. But just because Joaquin was down, didn't mean we had to be.

The San Angel Army I created went charging into the heat of battle, and even took down a few of the henchman without getting too badly injured. But there were too many! Sooner or later, we ended up in the grasp of the opposing army and heard Joaquin promise to give the medal up.

While the hero was pinned down, and I was being held back by two evil soldiers, the medal lay right in front of Chakal.

"Please, Chakal, just don't hurt them." Joaquin pleaded.

I doubted our enemy would agree with the terms of receiving the prize he seeked; and with his rotting teeth completely viewable as he smiled, and held up the medal above us.

"At last, the medal is mine!"

His victory was short-lived. The ground began shaking, and instantly, a beam of blinding light came bursting out of the ground, and so did a silhouette of a person I didn't get a good look at before I shielded my eyes from the powerful brightness; the power of its impact was so intense, anyone who was standing before ended up being thrown to the dust below our feet.

I looked up and saw a sight that caused me to believe that I had either died, or was seeing a ghost. Right above me, stood what looked like Manolo!

He stood over me, and offered his hand out to help me stand back up. It didn't take very long for him to hold me close, and then, just like in my dream, he pulled me into a dipping fashion, and we kissed.

We must've had our lips glued together for about fifteen seconds. Yet, It felt like only one.

After we pulled apart, I saw Manolo with so much confidence that wasn't there before. He looked ready to fight, and completely sure of a promising victory almost in a Joaquin-like manner. What was going on here? Did that snake bite send me into an alternative universe where Joaquin was humble, and Manolo was over confident?

"Hold this for me, _Amigo_." He said while threw his guitar to Joaquin.

With his head held high, my man approached the intruder.

"So, my father tells me you hate bullfighters."

"I hate everyone." Chakal answered while he spit a bullet of tobacco aside.

Manolo responded by pulling out his swords.

"Okay, let's do this."

"Hah! You and what army?"

We stood our ground, knowing that Chakal was right as far as numbers go, but we didn't let him see that on our faces. That is, until, the ground started to quake once again, and then small beams of light erupted from the dust. We all turned to see an army of sugar skulls appear right before us; all in their own fighting stances with determination on their countenance that told us they were on our side.

A voice from above the church caught our attention. There were three; a tall, elegant woman who looked like the queen of sugar skulls; a black, and green creature who's appearance was dark and deceiving; and a glowing being with a beard so full, and white, it must have been made of clouds.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but they said something like, they allowed leeway.

"Thank you!" Manolo called back, and once again, got ready to fight.

"No retreat?" I said

"No surrender!" My two friends responded.

To my surprise, I turned to see Manolo's Grandpa Luis with us, and seemed to command the family.

"_Familia Sanchez, attaque!"_ He yelled

The fight was long and difficult. I even had to help the boys out, and show them I was no damsel in distress. Chakal had a sword for each of them ready. He pushed while their blades collided.

"I'm done playing!"

As Joaquin and Manolo struggled, they refused to allow help from each other.

"I got it-I got this." Joaquin tried.

"No, no, no, I got it!" Manolo yelled.

Seeing this, I ran to the enemy, and performed a flying kick that ended in a backflip, and a perfect landing. Just to show off my skills, I posed in the fighting stance and looked at the guys, who now had their jaws hanging.

"Did I tell you I also studied Kung Fu?"

Chakal's arm came sliding at us, and I immediately jumped out of the way.

"Look out!" I warned.

The attack sent Manolo and Joaquin face-smacked right into a tomb. Before I could try to attack again, one of Chakal's boulder sized hands snagged me, and started climbing up the side of the church.

"Let go of me!"

He acted like I hadn't even spoken, and held me out for the town below us to see; but was obviously talking to Manolo, knowing that we loved each other. So great, he's the godfather now?

"Get me my medal, or your woman _WILL PAYYYY!" _He bellowed.

I rolled my eyes and sighed for his annoying threat.

"Men! Typical."

He held me so tight in just one hand, and I found it harder and herder to breathe the more I struggled; but once we reached the top where bell was kept; I opened my eyes from trying to fight, and saw Manolo come flying in like Superman.

"Hey!" He yelled. And punched Chakal's face hard enough to make him let go, where Manolo was there to catch me.

That one punch didn't stun the enemy long enough. He came running back, and I climbed up the beams that supported the bell; he tried striking again, but I hopped onto the bell, and swung into a gymnastic flip. I feared the landing, for I had never exactly perfected the move, but I felt something catch me; and there he was.

"Care to dance, Senorita?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Once we combined our dance moves with attacks, and actually had the upper hand against the bandit. The more he came back, the easier it became to fight.

Manolo took ahold of both my arms, and swung me around like an offtrack windmill, and I whooped in feeling my stomach do a fantastic flip. Can you believe it? We were laughing as we fought our mortal enemy that had been feared for years.

I fell into his arms once again.

"Pretty good, guitarrista; now it's your turn!"

I said as Manolo landed a punch powerful enough to send Chakal falling off the building, the same way I sent him falling off that train that was on its way to the same town I was now fighting for.

Although, because Chakal was unnaturally enormous, the building started falling apart as he tried to snatch onto the side to catch himself, but failed.

We were on the same part of the building that collapsed. As it fell through the sky, we ran together, and I stopped to see, of course, a dead end. What was I thinking? We're in the air! There's no escape.

I turned to Manolo to try and figure out what to do, but he ignored my worry. I was taken by the waist, he spun around, and threw me with incredible force. I thought for sure that I was gonna die.

I screamed as I unvoluntarily flipped forward, but stopped short.

Unaware of what was happening, I looked down to see a pyramid of sugar skulls, and one of them was holding me. I think it was Manolo's family.

"Hi, Maria!" They smiled.

Gently, I was lowered to the ground where I saw Joaquin and Manolo charging at Chakal to attack. They exchanged words, and then Manolo started kicking the column that held up the bell all three of them were under.

Chakal had lit a an explosive, and they were trying to knock the bell over them to use for a shield against the town.

I saw what was happening, and knew they were going to die.

"No, no!" I screamed while running to them. I couldn't help, for I was stopped by Pepe and my dad who held me away from harm.

Manolo then pushed Joaquin out of the way; our soldier friend came running back to try to help, but it was too late.

Manolo looked at me with sadness on his face.

"Don't forget me." He said.

With one more punch into the column, the bell covered him and the bandit king.

"NO!"

Three seconds went by, and the grenade went off. The town was completely unharmed thanks to the bell. Joaquin was still close enough to the blast to get sent flying back where he lay there unconscious.

All of Chakal's men began running off.

"Chakal is defeated! Retreat!"

I gasped once I saw the smoke flooding out from the shelter of the bell.

Manolo was gone. Once again, he was here long enough to win my heart, but was then snatched away from me by the unmerciful hands of death.

I cried, and fell to my knees. Until, I looked up once more to see him standing there unharmed.

"Manolo?"

He too, was checking to see if he had been hurt, and smiled once he knew he was alive. I walked over to him, with fear all over my face; was this really him? He saw my tears.

"I-it's me, mi amor."

I ran and held him close.

"But, but how did you survive?"

We both looked at the gods standing next us.

"Don't look at me." La Muerte said.

I saw a green shimmer from Manolo's pocket, and saw that it was, indeed, The Medal of Everlasting Life! Joaquin! He wasn't wearing it; that must mean...he was really hurt!

Manolo and I ran to help him as we saw him picking himself up off the ground, and tying a nearby scarf around his eye. Before he could hide the wound, I saw that his right iris looked blurry, and almost cracked.

He really got his eye damaged.

"You, you gave me the medal. You were going to sacrifice yourself, for me?" Manolo asked.

"I-I thought it was time to be a real hero, like you Manolo." 

I ran a concerned hand over his cheek and looked up him with pain for his, well, pain.

"Are you alright?"

He smiled at me, and took the medal from Manolo as he spoke the first words of wisdom I'd ever heard from him.

"I've never seen more clearly."

He then threw the medal to Xibalba, telling him that he didn't need it.

Manolo and Joaquin agreed with each other that they should now cast their own shadows, and write their own stories as they be their own man.

My Papa walked in and told Manolo there was one more thing missing as he had him kneel in front of me.

Time flew as the candles in the church was lit. I changed into my dress, and met my husband at the altar.

"Maria Posada, do you take Manolo as your husband?"

"I do."

"And Manolo Sanchez, do you take Maria as your wife?"

"I do."

The Candle Maker and Priest began closing the ceremony.

"By the power vested in us, by the Book of Life, we now pronounce you husband and wife; you may kiss-"

All I needed to hear was _"you may kiss before"_ I yanked Manolo into my arms and kissed him.

"-the groom?"

I heard the Candle Maker laugh, and then there was an applause.

While I walked hand in hand with Manolo, I told him to sing.

"If you wish, Mrs. Sanchez."

Everyone around us joined in on the music as I threw the bouquet, and saw Joaquin being flirted with by Manolo's Adelita Cousins. At first, I was worried he'd think of himself as a third wheel, but now, I think he'll be alright. And who knows? Maybe his eye will be good as new in a few months if not better.

The sun set after this lengthy day, and Manolo and I ended it with a kiss.

THE END


End file.
